DGA Awards 2026: Christopher Nolan Reveals the Directors Who Defined 2025 — From Frankenstein to Sinners, Severance to SNL
The Directors Guild of America has officially announced its 2025 DGA Award nominees, and this year’s list spotlights the filmmakers behind the most impactful films, series, documentaries, and live broadcasts of the year.
Table Of Content
- DGA 2026 Theatrical Feature Film Nominees
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film
- DGA 2026 First-Time Feature Film Nominees
- Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a First-Time Theatrical Feature Film
- DGA 2026 Television, Documentary, Sports and Variety Highlights
- Dramatic Series
- Comedy Series
- Limited and Anthology Series
- Movies for Television
- Variety, Sports and Reality
- Documentary and News
- Commercials
- DGA Awards Matter
- Like this
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DGA President Christopher Nolan revealed the nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film and the Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film, alongside the Guild’s full slate of television, documentary, sports, news, variety, and commercial nominees.
The winners will be announced at the 78th Annual DGA Awards on February 7, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Dolby is the Official Premier Sponsor of the ceremony.
“We could not be prouder to recognize the incredible work of this year’s nominees for their dedication to the art of filmmaking,” said Nolan. “We look forward to celebrating your work at the DGAAwards.”
DGA 2026 Theatrical Feature Film Nominees
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Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film
The nominees for 2025 are:
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet (Focus Features)
These directors delivered some of the most critically acclaimed and culturally influential films of the year, shaping awards season and driving global box office conversations.
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DGA 2026 First-Time Feature Film Nominees
Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a First-Time Theatrical Feature Film
Hasan Hadi – The President’s Cake (Sony Pictures Classics)
Harry Lighton – Pillion (A24)
Charlie Polinger – The Plague (Independent Film Company)
Alex Russell – Lurker (MUBI)
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby (A24)
These filmmakers represent a new wave of directors whose debut features became breakout critical successes and festival favorites.
DGA 2026 Television, Documentary, Sports and Variety Highlights
The Directors Guild also announced nominees across television, streaming, documentaries, news, sports, commercials, and variety programming, recognizing the directors behind the year’s most influential and widely watched projects.
Dramatic Series
Nominees include acclaimed episodes from The Diplomat, The Pitt, Andor, and Severance. Directors such as Liza Johnson, Ben Stiller, and Janus Metz were recognized.
Comedy Series
Recognized series include Hacks, The Bear, The White Lotus, and The Studio, with nominations for directors including Lucia Aniello, Christopher Storer, and Mike White.
Limited and Anthology Series
Highlighted titles include Black Mirror, Zero Day, and Dying for Sex.
Movies for Television
Notable nominees include Happy Gilmore 2, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, and Mountainhead.
Variety, Sports and Reality
Directing nominations went to Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Sports nominations recognized major live broadcasts including Super Bowl LIX, the 2025 World Series, and The Masters Tournament.
Reality and game programming nominations included Jeopardy!, The Price Is Right, and Conan O’Brien Must Go.
Documentary and News
Nonfiction storytelling was honored across Netflix, HBO Max, PBS, Apple TV+, and Peacock, including work by Laura Poitras, Geeta Gandbhir, and Mstyslav Chernov.
Commercials
Directors behind major campaigns for Apple, Nike, Meta, Amazon, Squarespace, Coinbase, and ChatGPT were recognized, including Spike Jonze, Kim Gehrig, and Miles Jay.
DGA Awards Matter
Founded in 1936, the Directors Guild of America represents more than 19,500 directors and members of the directorial team working across film, television, sports, news, and documentary. The DGA Awards are widely considered one of the strongest predictors of Academy Award winners and serve as a major benchmark for creative excellence in directing.
From major studio blockbusters to daring independent features and binge-dominating series, the 2026 DGA nominees reflect the directors who shaped how audiences watched, streamed, and experienced storytelling in 2025.
The winners will be revealed on February 7, 2026, as the industry gathers to celebrate the visionaries behind the year’s most defining entertainment.
